Explore CollectionsFolk and Self-Taught ArtUntitled (Really Free!)

Untitled (Really Free!)

Nellie Mae Rowe

American, 1900–1982

Book page with black, plain typing: “Really Free!” in bold font in upper right, and “The Bible Society” in smaller font at lower right; “Mrs. Nellie M” written cursive at top in blue marker and pink colored pencil, large “R” and small “owe” drawn below.

Details

Title

Untitled (Really Free!)

Artist/Maker

Nellie Mae Rowe (American, 1900–1982)

Date

1967–1976

Medium

Marker and crayon on book page

Dimensions

Image/Sight: 7 1/2 x 5 inches (19.1 cm x 12.7 cm) Framed/Mounted: 18 1/4 x 15 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches (46.4 cm x 38.7 cm x 3.2 cm)

Credit

Gift of Judith Alexander

Accession #

2002.239

Location

Currently not on view

Rowe was a deeply spiritual person who believed that God had bestowed her with artistic abilities, saying, “This the talent that he gave me and I have to use it.” She hung onto the frontispiece of Really Free!, a pamphlet reproducing the Gospel according to John and printed by the Bible Society in 1967, transforming it with her elegant signature. The way that she envelopes the phrase “Really Free!” with her name makes this relatively simple work, which inspired the title of this exhibition, a bold statement about how she expressed her personal freedom through art in the final years of her life.

Image Copyright

© Estate of Nellie Mae Rowe/High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

More from this Artist

A disproportionately large green teapot sits atop a stove; framed depictions of flowers hang on the walls.

Untitled (Nellie’s Teapot)

Nellie Mae Rowe

A large orange doglike creature sits among several dark brown and black trees against a murky yellow and brown background.

Untitled (Sad Dog)

Nellie Mae Rowe

A woman stands among several animals and in front of a large, multicolored scalloped wing, in which stands a bird with red and blue feathers. A profile of another woman floats in the top left corner.

Untitled (Woman with Butterfly Wing)

Nellie Mae Rowe

A busy, colorful scene with depictions of plants and animals includes text that reads, “if you want to be seen stand up,” “if you want to be heard speak up,” “if you want to be appreciated shut up.”

if You Want To Be Seen Stand Up

Nellie Mae Rowe

Drawing of a yellow-colored, black-haired woman in a light blue blouse from the chest up with her head facing right; grassy textured blue, green, and pink coloring behind her.

Untitled (Woman in Hat with Trees)

Nellie Mae Rowe

Two figures are on top of a platform, one seated, seen in profile and one standing, both wear red and blue outfits. A blue and red chicken is on the front of the platform, looking at a red-outlined circle in the corner full of smaller white circles.

Untitled (Wrestling Ring)

Nellie Mae Rowe

A green and blue leg with a plaid pink and white skirt hem in upper left corner and red heeled shoe with blue accents.

Untitled (Green Leg)

Nellie Mae Rowe

A yellow-skinned figure in a short striped dress stands among text that begins with “I am Bad Girl” and describes a story of the person pulling fish out of their throat and feeling like they were “got” by the devil.

Bad Girl

Nellie Mae Rowe

Blue yarn doll with bright pink cloth bottoms and a pink bonnet with dark gray hair coming out at the top, above two button eyes.

Untitled (Blue and Pink Doll)

Nellie Mae Rowe